28 Feb 2006
Oar repairs with Sikaflex, flattened boat hook and cable ties.
28th Feb.
No, not referring to Roz'state of undress.
Each day I hear about new people logging onto Roz' website - most welcome, but they don't know half the story! I am therefore going to give some quotes from earlier dispatches to summarise what Roz has been through:
(Day 47) Roz did suffer a knock-down today, worse than the previous one on Thursday 5th January, but came upright again. She has great confidence in her boat and its ability to self-right. The para anchor and drogue both went overboard but she struggled and got them back on again.
Roz does not expect to sleep much tonight, and is also concerned about salt-water sores due to sleeping in a wet bed.
(Day 49) When I told my mother about the latest casualties she commented, 'The ocean is really stripping you down, isn't it?'. And this is true, metaphorically as well as literally. As I'm left with less and less, it makes me realise how little I actually need, how little is actually important.
Updated Casualty List
New entries:
4th and final oar now damaged - so I have:
Magic bendy oar - irreparable
Oar with no spoon - irreparable
Oar with spoon almost broken off - Sikaflexed and splinted
Oar with shaft broken close to gate (rowlock) - splinted
I'm amazed and rather indignant about the two broken spoons. These oars were properly stowed alongside the guardrail oars, i.e. with the spoons 4ft clear of the water, and supposedly protected by the guardrail spoons - yet one broke clean off and the other nearly so. For this sort of pressure to be exerted, 4ft above the waterline, on both sides of the boat... That must have been some knockdown.
And more losses overboard:
Thermos mug #2 (1 remaining) with dinner inside
Drinks bottle #2 (1 remaining)
Lip salve #2 (2 remaining)
Bag for para-anchor line
2 buckets (1 remaining)
Alpaca skin seat cover #2 (1 remaining)
Plus flooded lockers:
#5 - beneath aft cabin. Relatively empty, fortunately, but cosy dry alpaca socks as special treat (courtesy of Alpaca Centre near Penrith) are cosy and dry no more
#7 - grab bags and lifejacket are swimming
#13 - jerrycans and cleaning materials. Deliberately left flooded for added ballast.
Plus previous casualties:
Petzl head torch (contacts rusted)
Camping stove - plunger jammed
Navigation instruments
Stereo
Thermos mug
Lid off thermos flask
Spoon
Drinks bottle
Storage jar
Alpaca skin seat cover
Lip salve
Milton fluid
...and a comfy foam cushion for sitting on.
And now since 17th February the satphone.
I am not too concerned that she only achieved 18 miles yesterday, as she is very obviously having to work hard to get further north. One email that I had today was from Caroline who is clearly reading the signs in just the same way. Or maybe she had to repair an oar again? Another email messager suggested that I should take some flapjack to Antigua. This is already in hand, courtesy of the mother of a friend of Roz' in the 1980s.
How would you feel with ONLY 330 more miles to row?
Sponsored mile: 2607 Mark Merritt, the numbers represent his son's birthday! Happy birthday, and thank you.
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Comments [0]
27 Feb 2006
What we are waiting for!
27th Feb.
Roz, when I last spoke to her ten days ago, was very eager to reach the end of the voyage in less than 100 days. The question now is whether she will or not.
Looking at her mileage for days 79 to 89, she was averaging 38.4 per day. She has another 366 miles to cover in the remaining days from 90 to 99. That gives an average of 36.6 miles needed per day. She can do it! That would please the children of the Island Academy, as she would probably arrive on a weekday some time next week.
It would please me too, as it gives me time to reach Antigua before she gets there. It has been an anxious time wondering what she is thinking and how she is feeling. Before she left she gave me instructions about what to do if there was no news of her at some stage. Thus I was left with the dilemma when her satphone no longer worked: was she needing me to alert the race organisers and rescue services, or was she hoping and praying that I would not act too hastily and call them out unnecessarily. I just had to know whether she was actually on the boat and that it was not moving with the wind and the waves. I felt troubled in case Roz was desperately longing for me to act whilst I just sat at home watching figures on a computer screen.
I trust that I did the right thing by doing nothing. People have been very good at assuring me that all is well, both in email messages (thank you) and the Woodvale race organisers. I shall be extremely happy to give her a great big hug at English Harbour, Antigua, next week!
| Atlantic Row Part 3 |
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26 Feb 2006
26th Feb.
1637.26N,5555.5W,OM
Having been away from home for two days, I turned eagerly to renew contact with my daughter Roz. It is not much fun talking to a purple dot on the computer screen! The Atlantic Rowing Race website shows that purple dot drawing ever closer to Antigua. It is good to see that only 387 miles remain before reaching English Harbour. What was not quite so encouraging to see was that the dot has moved a bit further south again. Roz really is struggling to make it back to latitude 17 degrees. A bit like a yoyo recently. We can but wait and watch for the next few days as she gets nearer and nearer to her goal of crossing the Atlantic.
Just a short dispatch tonight, I have a bit of catching up to do on emails that accumulated in my absence. It is good to meet up with so many people who tell me that they are avidly watching Roz' progress. Grateful thanks to you all.
| Atlantic Row Part 3 |
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24 Feb 2006
Simrad Navigation System Panels
24th Feb.
Have you explored the links on Roz' Voyage website? I wonder whether you have seen her list of people on her team, and the list of sponsors? These are the people and organisations who have made her crossing of the Atlantic possible. Some have given money, others time and energy or goods in kind.
Many other people, not named, have been and still are contributing by carrying out vital tasks to help Roz. She and I are most grateful for their support, and work done on her behalf.
When I put the picture on her dispatch page last night I did wonder whether people would be aware of Wholebake and their products. They kindly supplied her with samples of their products in the months of preparation, and a large number of bars of flapjack in a variety of flavours for the voyage itself. The 9bars are made up of nine types of seeds and nuts, with a layer of chocolate on top. All natural ingredients, nutritious and satisfying.
There is a team in London working to organise the welcome back party on March 23rd. A reminder therefore that the details are on the Home Page of this website.
It is good to see the miles being covered by Roz in recent days, and the fact that the boat is once again moving a bit northwards to get back to the latitude of 17 degrees.
I will probably not be doing a dispatch on Saturday evening as I am planning to visit friends this weekend.
There are some sponsored miles looming in the near future, so I will list them on this dispatch: 2496 Iona Pearey; 2500 Brian Yates. Special thanks and greetings to these kind people. Thank you too for the messages of reassurance to me at this anxious time, and to those who have recently made donations.
(Rita Savage, in the absence of any communication from Roz)
| Atlantic Row Part 3 |
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